Dead Mermen
by TalaMermaid
Summary: Mermen and Mermaids. Even for Sorcerers the idea may seem far fetched, but for the Dead Men it's now not so ' out there .' Particularly for Anton Shudder and Saracen Rue.
1. Chapter 1

**The original document of the first three chapters (maybe four, I can't remember) reached over 7,000 words on Word.**

**The tails in this are like the Mako Mermaids/H20:JAW ones but this isn't a crossover. I've gone over this and edited it, adding in more detail that sort of thing.**

**Set after the novels but certain things didn't happen**

**\- Ghastly and Anton were not killed, there was just an attempt.**

**\- Valkyrie didn't move to America**

**Disclaimer: I do not own 'Skulduggery Pleasant' all rights belong to Derek Landy. This is for all chapters, because I will forget.**

The waves crashed up against the rocks, throwing up spray. The sky was a light blue colour with white streaks of cloud stretching on for endless miles, like the ocean before him. Anton Shudder took a deep breath and exhaled. His long black hair was the wind's new play toy and his grey eyes were watering. Instead of his usual suit, he had on a simple dark blue t-shirt and plain trousers. His normal suit was in his car, along with food and various other supplies for the hotel. He took another breath before stepping off the rocks, dropping about half a foot, before hitting the water. He went under. The water wrapped itself around his legs changing them into a long black tail, the fin highlighted with 4+dark grey. His shirt drifted about above his stomach and his black hair was all over the place, floating in the movement of the ocean.

The transformation was complete. It should have been excruciatingly painful, but in the few seconds the transformation took , the water wrapped around his legs and feet numbed them , preventing him from feeling the pain of his bones, skin and muscles being pulled and stretched. He flicked his fin and swam up to the surface. His gills which appeared on the back off neck hadn't activated yet. They needed to have been exposed to air first, if it wasn't possible to expose them, their lungs were able to work on a single lungful of air for about twenty minutes to half an hour, he had never really wished to test it the limits.

His black hair was clinging to his scalp. He smiled before ducking under the surface and swimming off. His gills filtering the air from the water.

Saracen smiled. He had seen his friend jump into the sea. He knew what had gone on under the surface. It happened to him too. He had been going to join Shudder but then thought the better of it, knowing his friend would probably want time to get used to his tail again. So he went five minutes after he had seen the man , well MERman duck back underneath. The rock he had jumped from was almost ideal. Not too far from the water, flat, wide and sturdy , the only problem was it was more exposed. He didn't mind though. Not many people came here. The cliff path to get down to it was treacherous and then all the loose rocks and difficult footing tended to ward off walkers.

He knew how to avoid most of the dangers. He knew a lot of things. Like how his friend hadn't actually swum very far, just far enough away that if Saracen did a wide jump he wouldn't be in danger of being a landing pad. He also knew that Anton was just about to pop up in 5,4,3,2,1. Anton surfaced.

"Knew you were going to do that,"

"Of course you did. Now, what are you waiting for. I've been waiting five minutes you to show up," he ducked back under and flicked his fin showering Saracen with water.

"Hey, that was not funny," he scowled and wiped the water off his face. Shudder surfaced again.

"It was a bit funny."

"Ok fine maybe a bit."

"Maybe a lot, the scowl on your face," he laughed. Being in the water with a tail made even Anton Shudder laugh.

"Cannonball!" Saracen jumped forward brought his knees up to his chest and cannonballed in, the waves from his entracne hitting into Shudder. He wiped the water from his face.

"Nice."

Saracen surfaced next to him. "Paybacks a bitch,"

Shudder sighed "Now that that's out the way, come on. I only have an hour," Shudder ducked under again and Saracen ducked under after him. Saracen's tail was a dark violet. The colour of his magic, Valkyrie had told him. What happened when they transformed was whatever they were wearing on their legs almost melted into their skin and scales grew over the top and whatever they were wearing on their top half stayed, which was why wearing suits wasn't the best idea. Which was why Saracen had taken his jacket off and left it in his car, as well as his tie.

The two were evenly paced swimming about. The waters here weren't the warmest in the world, but in mer form the water temperature didn't bother them, they could be in the freezing cold Arctic and it wouldn't bother them. Fish swam by them and reaching kelp fonds brushed their tails. Sometimes they explored the outer reefs but not today, there was no time. They had to visit The Cave.

They swam over a maze of rocks looking for the entrance, it seemed to move everytime, but then there was often a long gap between visits. Enough time for the mind to wreck havoc on the details of memories. A gaping hole in the rocks caught Shudder's eye, he reached over tugged on Saracen's arm and the pair swam down through it. It went straight down about a meter before turning and opening into a massive cavern. An underwater cave.

Unlike some underwater caves this one wasn't completely flooded. The bottom was covered in sand that the currants dragged in, water covering the layer of sand while the top half was filled with air. Symbols were carved into the walls meaning a never ending supply of the precious gas that even mermen needed to breath -oxygen.

The cave had rock ledges around the pool like area- so they didn't have to stay in the water the whole time they were cave had once been as dark as Skulduggery's eye sockets but a few symbols later it had been filled with light that was activated whenever they swam along the bottom- before it was safe to surface without hitting your head, of course. So when the two broke the surface the place was lit up, not a blinding city but more of a comfortable mutliple candle light , shadows could still dance their dance but the light had killed as many as the sun did each and every day.

"It's been ages since we swam the reefs, what with the war and stuff," Saracen said to his friend.

"Yeah. It has been good coming out here though, a chance to clear our heads," Anton remarked.

"Yeah, hey do you want to race," Saracen turned to his friend while smiling, a big grin, stretching from ear to ear.

"Alright then. Prepare to lose," Anton moved his fin under the water, gearing up for top speed.

"In your dreams."

"In my dreams I can beat you with my eyes closed."

"Oh it's on now,"

They ducked under and swam out. Once above the water the race began.

"3,2,1 and go."

They dove forward into the waves and shot off like rockets. Speeding over rocks, kelp, seaweed and fish. At times Shudder would be in front then Saracen would edge out in front. It was a constant battle for first place. Instead of going back to the rock where they had first jumped in they headed further up past the cliffs, it would mean a further walk but safer for tired merman swimmers.

Back at the hotel

It was an almost Dead Men Reunion. Valkyrie and Dexter were having a Who Can Hang Upside Down The Longest On A Chair Like A Possum Competition on two armchairs. Ghastly and Skulduggery were , well Ghastly was lazing about on a couch and Skulduggery was sitting cross legged on another armchair. Shudder was 'just out getting supplies' and Saracen was out someplace or the other, he hadn't specified when he left.

" When's Anton and Saracen getting back?" Valkyrie asked, hanging upside down.

"Saracen said he'll be getting back in 20 minutes and Anton was supposed be back 10 minutes ago." Ghastly answered her.

Then the door opened. Anton poked his head into the walked into the room. He had changed back into his suit before going back out to the car and taking in the shopping.

"There's about another 25 bags in the car, so you guys can help take it all in."

"I can't, I have to beat Valkyrie in the Who Can Hang Upside Down The Longest On A Chair Like A Possum Competition!" Dexter called out.

"I can't I have to beat Dexter in the Who Can Hang Upside Down The Longest On A Chair Like A Possum Competition!" Valkyrie called out.

"Alright I'll grab a couple from the boot," Ghastly turned his head to face Shudder before turning back and then he stood up.

"Me to," Skulduggery added.

"Thanks." He pulled his head back and walked past laden with bags.

"Dexter get your lazy ass up and help," He called out as he walked, then backtracking

"You as well Valkyrie," he went down to the kitchen.

" Fine, Dexter we both fall on the count of three. One,"

"Two."

"Three," Valkyrie slid down, Dexter stayed up.

"Ha ha I win," He rolled backwards off the chair and leaped up and did a victory dance.

"I will prevail again someday," Valkyire imagined using her new powers to send Dexter flying, but then though better of it. Better to attack when they least expect it.

"Hey you guys, come on we need to help the scary person unload our food," Skulduggery was waiting in the doorway, adjusting his hat- black with a dark green band - a new style Ghastly had made for him.

"Fine," The four headed out to the car. The boot was packed with stuff. "Well he wasn't exaggerating,"

"Told you," Anton came up behind them. He slipped past them and grabbed some more bags, before heading back inside. He had shopped before he had gone swimming with Saracen. He placed the bags on the table and sighed. He was tired. Shopping, racing and unpacking was tiring. Especially racing Saracen, the man normally a bit of a laugh was deadly competitive when racing.

" Jesus Christ, Anton, how much stuff did you buy?" Dexter.

"Just enough to feed some hungry Dead Men for a day," he joked, "Maybe two days if we scrimp,"

"Maybe three days, we don't want to end up like Saracen."

He hadn't met Dexter until he joined the Dead Men and hadn't really spent that much time with him, but was still able to joke about with him, or as much as he would. Anton Shudder wasn't really the type to joke about a lot. Ghastly and Skulduggery came in carrying more bags.

"Aren't there more bags to come in?" Skulduggery didn't seem bothered by the weight of the bags.

" Unfortunately," Dexter mumbled. Anton and Dexter made their way back up, while Ghastly and Skulduggery headed after them. Back at the car Valkyrie was stuffing things back into a bag. She stood up and smiled sheepishly.

"It fell out," she said with a shrug. Skulduggery rolled his non existent eyes.

"Valkyrie what have I told you about not dropping shopping bags,"

"Umm, nothing."

"Ah well, Valkyrie do not drop shopping you can damage things." It was her turn to roll her eyes.

"C'mon lets just get all the shopping in."

"Fine, killjoy."

Two million hours later ( just kidding, but seriously a while later)

The table was covered in bags.

"Now for the fun part of unpacking."

"Yeah."

"Great."

And a whole lot of other sarcastic comments floated from the mouths.

"Hey guys," Saracen strolled in.

"Actually I have a better idea. Saracen since you arrived to late to help us get the bazillion bags from the car, you can unpack the shopping," Anton smirked at him.

"Whhhhhyyyyyy?"

"Cause you didn't help get it out of the car,"

"But I wasn't here,"

"Your problem, not mine ," Anton said back, teasing in his voice. Swimming always put him in a good mood.

"Fiiinnnee," Saracen whined.

"Good , we'll meet you back in the lounge."

Saracen sighed as the rest of them trooped out.

"

Why can't you stupid bags unpack yourself?"

He then proceeded to let out a string of curses and complaints about how sorcerers for being so mighty and powerful couldn't even make something to unpack bags. Footsteps coming down broke him cursing.

"Did you really think we would make you unpack this all yourself?" Shudder asked him. Skulduggery and Ghastly came in after him and the four got to work unpacking it all. Once it was finished they headed back through to the lounge to find Valkyrie and Dexter were once again locked in a battle of epic porpations in another installment of Who Can Hang Upside Down The Longest On A Chair Like A Possum Competition.

"Is that all you guys do here?"

"Yup."

"Uh-hu."

"These chairs are the best for it anyway."

"I'll take your word for it," Shudder sat down on a couch opposite the chairs occupied by Valkyrie The Possum and

Dexter The Possum. Saracen took a seat beside Ghastly.

"So Saracen, what was your ultra important business in town?"

"I actually helped Anton here with the shopping. Being that big of an eater I was able to offer my opinions on a wide variety of foods," he said with an important air.

"Meaning, you kept asking me to buy things, saying they were really nice, oh and so are these. These would fill the

rest of the hungry people at the hotel." Shudder told them. He then moved to the side and put his feet up on the couch.

"Hey you said we're not allowed to do that!"

"My hotel, I can do what I want the rest of you have to follow the rules,"

"But the only rule is no violence to other guests." Saracen pouted.

"Well from now onwards the Dead Men guests are not allowed to put their feet up on the couch."

"But I'm not technically a Dead MAN."

"But, Valkyrie you are a part of the Dead Men so you are in fact a Dead Man, so the rule applies to you as well,"

"Dang glob it."

A comfortable silence settled.

" Hey Anton, can you put the TV on?" Dexter asked from his possum position. No reply. "Anton! Shudder! Anton!"

"Wheesht it Dex, he's sleeping," Ghastly scolded him

"Oh."

"Can we still watch TV, or is he a light sleeper and likly to wake up?" Valkyrie asked

"Nah, he's a deep sleeper when it suits him."

"When it suits him?"

"Yeah it the middle of war all you have to do was brush against in tent, but then out of war you literally have to play a tuba right in his ear, but then most of us are like that," Ghastly said.

"I used a trombone to wake you Ghastly," Saracen chipped in, but they chose to ingnore him.

"Oh, so TV can go on then."

"I guess so."

"I'll turn it on," Saracen got out of his seat and took the remote off the top of the TV, switching it on before putting it

back and taking the Sky remote from beside it.

"So what do you guys want to watch?"

Then came the argument. Nearly everyone wanted to watch different things. It started off as a hushed argument but

before long it was a shouting and wrestling match.

Anton blinked. The loudness of the argument woke him. He wasn't surprised though. Whenever the Dead Men tried to watch TV it ended up in a fighting mach. Apart from when it came to Family Guy, which is why he had recorded all 211 episodes, shown Ireland. The remote had been ripped from Saracen's hands, into Dexter's, into Ghastly's , into Valkyrie's, into Dexter's, into Saracen's and all around again. Only Skulduggery remained seated, he didn't care much about TV.

Shudder sat up. Only Skulduggery noticed. Shudder got up, still no one noticed, except Skulduggery. He moved over to the TV and used the buttons on the Sky box instead. Family guy came on and suddenly the fighting stopped. It was like they were hypnotosised.

Everyone sat back down, except for Shudder who went out and into his his bathroom.

The easiest way to bring back strength lost while swimming was to relax in water, sea water was best but normal water with sea salt sprinkled in was good as well.

Which is why him and Saracen normally raced on the way there not the way back. So he ran a bath. His bath was specially designed for him in mer form. It was built up on a podium above the ground. The bath was placed in the podium a bit in from each side. It was long enough and deep enough so his tail wasn't squished and he could go completely under to transform. And it was easy to get in and out. Once the bath was half filled he added in bubblebath. A lot of bubble bath and some sea salt from his tub beside the bath. It was so his tail could be hidden if need be, but he never needed to. Once it was filled he went in and pushed his whole body under and waited a few seconds until he had a tail. The warm bubble water relaxed his tired muscles and although he was gaining strength he felt himself slipping into sleep again. It wouldn't matter if he slipped under, his gills would activate.

Four hours later cold water poured onto his face caused him to wake, he blinked clearing his vision to see Saracen standing over him.

"What you do that for?"

"Everyone's getting hungry and yeah you know, you're the host and it's you're hotel so you have to, you know cook,"

"Fine, give me ten minutes."

"Excellent," Saracen bounded out the room. A key held in his hand. Of course he would know where to find the only spare key to get in. Asshat, Valkyrie taught them all that word. He pulled himself out of the water, once he was clear of the water this time the reverse of what occurred before happened. Although water with snake like qualities wasn't in the equation. The scales melted smoothly into what was meant to be legs. The skin returned and spilt into two legs, two feet and ten toes. Changing back left them still wet though.

Exactly ten minutes after Saracen had so rudely awoken him, he was down in the kitchen making dinner. His long black hair took far too long to dry, so he pulled it back into a ponytail.

He had bought a variety of frozen pizzas. Margarita, pepperoni, meat feast, Hawaiian, mozzarella, seafood, pesto. Something for everyone. He carried four plates at a time and set them out on the table. Along with glasses , various soft drinks and smaller plates. He went through to find them watching some other comedy thing

"Pizzas ready."

He moved away from the door to avoid being trampled by stampeding, hungry Dead Men. He followed them with a small chuckle. Once he got there everyone tucked in. It didn't take long for the pizza to vanish. Slice after slice into the hungry mouths like wolves on meat, or sharks on bait, whichever you prefer.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2: Chapter 2**

**This is part 2 of the original chapter .**

**Disclaimer: I do not own 'Skulduggery Pleasant' all rights belong to Derek Landy.**

**BTW Anton may be a bit OOC in this**

* * *

At one minute to midnight

Anton headed up to a balcony, where he came to relax. Right now though the hotel was empty of official, non Dead Men guests. He glanced at his watch 30 seconds. He looked up at the sky, the moon glowed brightly and the scattered stars just hung there in mid air.

He glanced at his watch 20 seconds. He could hear the sea if he focused, the crashing waves. Their next destination was by the beach. Jamaica. Warm waters, reefs and sharks.

He glanced at his watch again. Ten seconds.

The Dead Men were all looking forward to the twelve hour stay in Jamacia- a chance to relax and forget about all that happened. Ravel's betrayal and the attempted assassinations. The War of the Sanctauries. Darquesse. Some of then were lucky to be alive. Dexter's injuries had almost killed him and Ghastly had almost choked to death on his own blood and paralysed and he (Anton) had almost had his head sliced off. The hotel gave a shudder and then they were on a deserted beach. No civilisation for miles. **( I've never been to Jamaica** **so things will most likely be untrue but hey ho)**

"Woooohooo!"

He moved to the railing and saw Dexter and Saracen rushing out in swimming trunks. Most likely going to have a

water fight. Saracens tail wouldn't form unless he was completely submerged. But knowing Dexter. He shook his

head, Saracen was smart, he may act like an immature child but he's smart enough to keep his secret.

Come on, Skul," Valkyrie was dragging Skulduggery outside onto the beach in her own swim costume, a pair of white board shorts over the top.

He went back inside hotel and changed into more suitable for beach time. Shorts and a T shirt .Before heading out he checked in the lounge, Ghastly was lying stretched out on a couch, like he had been earlier. The rule he had placed earlier on the Dead Men guests was broken already.

Outside the air was warm and the squeals of Valkyrie being thrown about by massive waves reached him here, in

front of the hotel.

He had taken his pony tail out his hair ages ago and now in the ever so slowly sinking sun, the black shone.

He had taken a book and blanketout with him. So he sat on a blanket and read. Water fights were not really his thing. Nor was it Skulduggery's. The skeleton was looking rather unamused, or as unamused as a skeleton can look, as Valkyrie splashed him, some on the water landing on him but most were deflected by his own power.

"Asshat!" Valkyrie's voice drifted up.

Anton ignored them and turned back to his book.

Mer's and Powers.

It contained information useful for him and Saracen. Why their tails where the colour they where. How their human

anatomy changed in mer form. Various things like that. But the main thing was the powers. Control of the water

element, basic healing, bodily Sat Nav.

He had never really had much time to practise the water control, so normally when he used it he was going by

instinct. Like on one of the missions, if he hadn't reacted fast enough he probably wouldn't be on a beach reading, same with all of the other Dead Men. If they hadn't been as trained as they were , things would have been very different.

The mission in which he first used his powers worked quite well, no one saw him use his powers so everything was good. Well as good as War can be.

Sometime during the war with Mevolent

The man lept out of nowhere hands flaming, he threw fireballs too fast to dodge. Instead Shudder instinctivey put his hands up infront of him to sheild his face. The flames never hit him though. The flames had sizzled out. The man threw two more fireballs, Shudder stared straight at him. The flames hit some invisible force field and extinguished. His surprise allowed Shudder to drop his hands and lunge forward before breaking the sorcerer's neck with a snap. The barrier that stopped the flames splashed to the ground when he dropped his hands. It had been water.

Back in present time

The mer powers he had had saved his life. But relying on instinct was foolish, he needed training.

Skulduggery came wandering up to him, his suit rumpled. He almost laughed at his friend. Skulduggery hated it when his suits were rumpled.

"What happened to you?"

"Valkyrie made me make waves for her to play about in, but really she was using them to hide while she prepared her White Lightening to to throw me onto the sand or flick water onto me."

Anton allowed himself a chuckle.

"What's that your reading?" He tilted his head to see the title ," Mer's and powers," he looked at his friend.

"Remember that mission where we had to sort out the mermaids that were on Mevolents side? When they fled but said they'd return? They were spotted around here, so it'd be good if we knew what powers they had," it was a downright lie, he knew for a fact those mermaids had been killed long ago, but he could exactly say to his friend, of yeah I kinda forgot to tell you I'm a merman. At least he wasn't known for reading pointless appearing things.

Skulduggery looked at him,

"You're weird."

"Says the walking skeleton."

"Can I sit?" He geustrart to the blanket. Shudder moved up and Skulduggery sat down. He went back to reading. Content to relax and be at peace.

Skulduggery however, was a different story. The detective got bored easily. So he annoyed people, this time it was Anton. He sent a gust of air at the Adept, only to recieve a glare that could make a wraith cower away

"What was that for?"

"I'm bored." Was the blunt reply.

"Go annoy Valkyrie or something."

"Nah, she's with Dexter and hates it when I interrupt her,"

Shudder rolled his eyes. While Skulduggery used the air to play with the sand.

But Skulduggery got bored, again.

He snapped his hands against the air trying to knock the book out of his friend's hands. Instead the air hit a barrier

and bounced back sending him flying instead. He sat up and blinked. Shudder was reading as if nothing happened.

Skulduggery pushed at the air again and again it bounced off a barrier this time he was expecting it and moved to the side. Standing up and heading over to Shudder he was expecting to hit a barrier so didn't expect to fall forward nearly landing on Shudder's legs. He had pulled his legs back just before Skulduggery fell. He pushed at the air from his sitting position at the book, it bounced off again. He then moved over to Anton and pulled it out his hands, noticing the symbols carved onto the spine of the book, protecting it from magic attacks.

"Hey!"

Skulduggery read the page he was on aloud

"The colour of the mermaid or man's tail depends on them alone .If the mer is practised in healing their tail will be a

soft colour, while a fighter while have stronger colours, like grey or dark red. Half - bloods, sorcerers who have been transformed will have a tail depending on their magic. I though all Mer's were born?"

"It appears not."

"Why are you reading about mermaids again?" Skulduggery handed the book back, pressing for more answers that before.

Anton said nothing and began reading once again.

Skulduggery got bored once again. Anton stopped reading, all the stuff further on he already knew. His thoughts

drifted back to the war, before Larrikin had been killed.

Sometime in the war

They had been ambushed crossing a narrow bridge. They weren't sure if it could even be called a bridge. It was pretty much 6 narrow planks of wood stretched out over the river below. They weren't miles above it yet it wasn't just below them, it was at a height that if you fell it wouldn't kill you. Which was lucky.

They had been walking in silence across the bridge when some of Mevolent's men, lead by Moray Irving ,a Sottish

worshiper of the Faceless ones, ambushed them.

They were surrounded on both sides and soon enough the fighting began. There was elbows being jabbed, fists, powerslaps, backhands, kicks and weapons. Swords were slicing, knives were cutting. Most of blows were absorbed by the armour but a few found their mark. They all did the best they could in the small space, but soon enough the men were disbanded. A loud scream came from the direction of Larrikin and and Irving. The man had thrown Larrikin against one of the steep sides of the river bank, his body hitting the river and going under, his heavy armour dragging him down.

"Larrikin."

Shudder dropped his knife and jumped off the edge of the bridge. Ghastly being closest to him reached out to try and grab him, but with no luck.

Under the water Shudder was swimming easily over to Larrikin, his heavy armour not affecting his swimming ability in the slightest. He scooped up Larrikin and swam out up to the surface and over to a bit of the river bank at river level, the rest of the river hitting right up against the steep rocking sides. He pulled himself right out of the water, probably looking like a dying fish while doing so. Once his body was completely clear his legs returned to normal. He looked to find Larrikin staring at him wide eyed.

"Don't say anything to the rest of them," he said, more as a statement than a request.

Larrikin nodded.

Shudder gave him one of his rare smiles. They said the only time he smiled on a Dead Men mission was it was 'his

birthday' but they didn't know.

This part was hidden by the steep sides, that was the only reason he came here, if not Saracen would have had to

distract the rest while he pulled himself out like he had done for Saracen before.

"What was that thing with the tail?"

Larrikin looked at him.

Shudder hesitated. "I'm a merman, whenever I'm completely under the water, I get a tail,"

"Cool."

He looked at Larrikin, that had not been the response he was expecting.

"What? It is."

Shudder opened his mouth to say something when a loud cry of

"Ooooowww," then a thud and a another cry, then a thud , then another cry them the body of Dexter Vex landed next

to them. Shudder looked up. Saracen waved down at them.

"Found you!" He called down to them. He vanished from view but they could hear him calling back to the others.

"Found them!"

Dexter gave a moan.

"I think I'm more injured than you," he pointed to Larrikin. He have another moan before going still.

"Remember, not a word," he said to Larrikin.

"Aye, aye," he gave a mock salute. Shudder gave him another smile. Larrikin had a way of coaxing smiles to his face.

2 minutes later

Saracen and Ghastly made their way down. On the way down Shudder had used the healing power as much as he

could on Dexter. Healed a few bones. Saracen was better at it, he had more time to practise it.

Saracen was the first down. He placed his hands over Dexter and slowly the bones healed and the cuts closed over.

Saracen ,being Saracen, knew the way down. He didn't bother telling the others. It took them a heck of a lot longer to

get down. Well, Ghastly. It didn't make sense for all of them to come down, even though only Skulduggery and

Erskine were left at the top.

It took them a heck of a lot longer than two minutes to get back up. Dexter was still unconscious and needed to be

carried up and Larrikin was still a bit shaky.

"Hey Anton," he was snapped back to the present day by a face-full of sand. He spat it out his mouth and wiped it off

his face. Skulduggery was sitting infront of him.

"What was that for?" He gave one of his glares that froze even a missing,skeletal heart.

"Ah well, you see ..."

He was cut off by a book hitting into his skull.

"What was that for?" Shudder gave him a pointed look.

"Fair enough."

Squeals and screams and shouts could be heard from the water. Dexter was splashing water at Valkyrie and Saracen

when they were in range and trying to splash them when they were not in range. Saracen was joining him in

splashing while Valkyrie kept using her magic to make them move away from her, firing bolts of the energy at them

forcing them out of range. It was the first time they had been able to properly relax and have fun.

Of course it didn't stay like that. It turned into a magic and water battle. Valkyrie and Dexter trading energy bolts and

Saracen splashing. He soon got bored and headed out, leaving the possum wannabes to fight.

He walked across the sand up to where Shudder and Skulduggery were sitting.

"Hey Skulduggery can you do the water thing to dry me off?" He asked him.

"Yeah, sure,"

"Thanks,"

Skulduggery moved his hand as if to lift the water off but instead he sent a blast of air which sent him flying

backwards.

He sat up and shook sand out of his now dry hair.

"Thanks."

"Hey where's Ghastly?"

"He's sleeping and breaking my new rule," Shudder answered for the lump of knowledge everyone knew as Saracen Rue.

"What rule?" Saracen asked.

"The new rule about how Dead Men can't put -"

"Their feet up on the couch. I know. Hey you wanna go swimming?"

"What now?"

"Yeah."

"But what about the, you know what?"

"Maybe it's time we tell them."

"Maybe but are you sure?" Anton was hesitiant to agree, but Saracen seemed to go for it.

"Tell us what?" Skulduggery cut in.

"You really want to know?" Saracen asked him.

"Yeah."

"You really, really want to know?"

"Yeah,"

"Really, really,really?"

"Yes,"

"Really, really, really, really?"

"Yes."

"Really, really, really, really, really,really,really, truley, absoulutley 100%.."

"Yes just tell us!" Skulduggery grew bored of Saracen's hint at insantiy by rambling on and on and on.

"Aright, go get Ghastly then, better just tell it to everyone at once." Shudder told Skulduggery.

"Righto, me and my amazing new hat will awaken the sleeping form with a blast of air."

The pair of mermen just rolled their eyes as the skeleton/ultimate necromancer continued the conversation with himself.

"We'll meet you at the jetty!" Saracen called after him.

At the jetty

Valkyrie, Skulduggery, Ghastly, Dexter, Saracen and Shudder where all gathered at the jetty.

"So what have you got to tell us?" Valkyrie asked.

"It's easier to show." Saracen told them.

"Show us then."

"Ready?" Saracen asked Shudder.

"Ready." The two made their way to the edge of the jetty and dove in,the water blocking the view from the watchers above. The transformation happened as normal, but even though he would never admit butterflies fluttered in Shudder's stomach. One look at Saracen showed him his friend felt the same. Saracen's dark purple tail moved slowly as he threaded water keeping him in place, Shudder's black one doing the same. They nodded and swam up to the surface.

Saracen broke the surface first and had no qualms, he pulled himself up and onto the jetty, his long fin still a bit in the water.

Shudder did the same. He wished he had a camera to capture their faces. Surprise, shock, jaw hitting the floor, wide eyes when the caught sight of the scaly things were their legs should be. Saracen stared laughing, Shudder joined in, he couldn't help it.

They just stared at the two laughing mermen. Eventually they came round. Then came the questions

"How?"

"What?"

"When?"

"Why?"

"How come you didn't tell us?"

"What the hell?"

"How long have you had that?"

"One question at a time people," Saracen said,"How is a story for when we are not like this. What is - we are mermen. Why - we do not know. We didn't tell you because hmmm, I don't actualy know. How long is ..." Saracen trailed off and turned to Shudder.  
"When we were about 20 maybe 30," Shudder said to them.

"Wow," Valkyrie breathed," That is so cool."  
"So you guys were fish during the war?" Dexter asked.  
"Yes," the two said at the same time.

"And it's not fish."

Dexter ignored Saracen's remark.

"So that's how you were able to save Larrikin that time." Dexter turned to Shudder.

"Yes."

"This is a weird question, but what does tail feel like?" Valkyrie asked.

"See for yourself," Saracen gestured to his tail.

Valkyrie placed her hand on the purple scales. They were rather smooth, warm and almost slimy.

Shudder noticed Saracen's sly grin. The latter then flicked his fin, showering water over Valkyrie. She squealed at the water that ran down her top.

"What was that for?"

"For fun."

They answered a few more questions before Shudder slipped in the water. Cooling his scales down. The water was

nice here. Warm and clear. Saracen landed in beside him. When Saracen was in the water his hair didn't wave about in his face due to the shortness, but when Shudder was in the water his was all over the place, very annoying.

Saracen surfaced again, while Shudder just swam off. He was wanting to explore the reefs here and now was the

perfect time. Him and Saracen would tell them how this happened later on. For now it was time to be free again.

He had meet a couple others who had been turned and they all looked at it differently. One looked at it as a curse,

the other was fearful of the ocean, Saracen took it as a gift and he (Anton) used it for freedom. A chance to escape reality and feel like he belonged. The hotel was normally quiet and could on occasion be sinister, the ocean was more dangerous but it had its own light that outweighed all the dangers.

The reefs were amazing. A mix of bright colours of all shades and bright, darting fish. Dolphins swam and played while jellyfish danced away. Sharks glided along, like the silent guardians of the ocean playground. The sunlight filtered through giving the water a turquiose colour.

One young dolphin took an interest in him. She swam up to him and clicked excitedly at him. Another power Mer's

had was communication with ocean creatures. He clicked back at the dolphin. She rolled around in the water, he

copied her. They played the game for hours until the setting sun tinted the water golden. He told the dolphin sadly he had to leave, she clicked back and escorted him back to the jetty. When he surfaced he found Valkyrie sitting staring out a the setting sun. The pink, orange and gold sky made the skin on her face shine slightly.

"What are you doing out here?"

She jumped slightly.

"Ah, I just wanted to see the sunset. It that a dolphin?" Valkyrie noticed the young dolphin besdie the merman.

"Yeah, her names Alqua. She's still pretty young."

The dolphin clicked and whistled at her. Valkyrie laughed.

"Do you want to come and swim with her?"

"Swim with her?! Really!"

"Yeah, come in." Shudder pushed back from the jetty to give Valkyrie room to jump in. She shrugged off her loose

cardigan and jumped in, in her shorts and tank top.

When she surfaced, Alqua came up to her.

"Aww, she's so sweet." Valkyrie placed her hand on her nose. Alqua chittered. Before circling around her. Valkyrie

laughed.

The dolphin showed her fin and chittered again.

"Hold onto her fin. She'll pull you along."

Valkyrie didn't need to be told twice. She swam with Alqua and Shudder for about an hour or so until the sky was a

sheet of black velvet dotted with sequins and a silver sliver of moon. The dolphin clicked sadly again. She placed her nose against Valkyrie's cheek, who in turn placed a kiss on the dolphins smooth head. The dolphin then swam up to

Shudder. The two exchanges quiet clicks and whistles. Alqua placed her nose on his cheek as well.

"Bye Alqua!" Valkyrie waved, not caring if she looked like an idiot or Alqua didn't understand what it meant. The dolphin dove up in the air and twisted round showing off.

"How'd you speak with her?"

"We have the power to communicate with sea creatures, fish, dolphin, whales ect."

"Right." Valkyrie yawned. Her arms and legs were tired and the jetty was a bit away.

"You need a lift back?"

"Yeah."

"Lie on your back on the surface." Valkyrie did as instructed.

Shudder concentrated and created some sort of water raft thing under Valkyrie. He placed his hands on it and pushed it back to the jetty. Valkyrie climbed onto the wood and Shudder pulled himself up and moved his tail round so it came out of the water. His tail melted away easily.

Valkyrie yawned again. And blinked sleepily.

"I'm too tired to move."

Her eyes were half shut, but they flew open when she felt herself getting lifted up, and carried into the hotel.

Inside the hotel the Dead Men where once again lazing about, with their feet on the seats, watching TV.

Valkyrie had fallen asleep in his arms.

"There you are Anton, where'd you go?"

"Out to the reefs."

He left again, Valkyrie's room was on the first floor. Before they had left the jetty Shudder had dried the two of

them of, so he just set Valkyrie down on her bed and placed her cover over her before leaving.

Back in the lounge they were waiting for him so Saracen and him could tell them how they turned into mermen. If he

was honest he couldn't be bothered. He actually felt almost ... deflated, before he had this big secret that he kept close to his heart, something he knew he had over the others, besides Saracen. Now he didn't, well he did have secrets but they weren't take to the grave secrets.

"You can tell them Saracen, I'm just going to check Valkyrie didn't leave her cardigan on the jetty." Without waiting

for any of them to say anything, he left again.

Sure enough Valkyrie's cardi was lying there where she left it, but that wasn't the only thing there. A young dolphin

was swimming around.

"Alqua."

He sat down on the edge and dangled his legs down, the dolphin came up to his and clicked and whistled frantically. Her pod had left and she was on her own.

He had a solution though. One that Alqua agreed with. He concentrated and a bubble of seawater wrapped itself

around her. It took all his mental strength to get her into the hotel. In one of the branched off areas of the hotel was

a luxury swimming pool, he hadn't got round to sorting out. The bubble Alqua was in was enough to fill it once all the

water molecules had been expanded. The dolphin chirped happily, thanking him and then reminding him that

Valkyrie's cardigan was still on the jetty. He sighed and left for the jetty.

He grabbed Valkyrie's cardi and returned to the hotel. In the lounge Saracen was telling the Dead Men about some of their underwater adventures. He left him to it and went to Valkyrie's room. He knocked on the door and waited. No one came to the door. He opened the door quietly and set her cardigan on the dresser.

He had other matters at the moment. Alqua needed fish, fresh fish, not battered rubbish from the shop. He checked his watch. He had about 5 hours before they left again. Plenty time to head to the nearest town and get fish. He smiled to himself, he was now a slave to a dolphin. Although the night had settled, he had the perfect idea of where to go.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3: Chapter 3**

_**This is part three of the original chapter btw this chapter's a bit short.**_

_**I apologise for any spelling errors in this story. I don't have Microsoft Word on my laptop only Word Pad and it doesn't automatically spellcheck anything and the spell check on FF wasn't working. I think Spell check hates me :( Well Spellcheck we are now at WAR!**_

* * *

**2 hours later**

He came back with about 10 large carrier bags filled with fish. As well as some more supplies for the hotel. Feeding

the Dead Men was a challenge, it was like looking after 5 elephants - food and noise wise.

He went straight to see Alqua. The swimming pool was large and spacious and deep, various little waterfalls were nowactive, although it was large he knew Alqua would get bored. If he had time he would try and find her pod, but he didn't have time and anyway Alqua wanted to come.

When he came in with her fish she chirped and whistled again.

"I got you some fish, I don't know what kinds you like so I got a variety. Look." He emptied out one of the carrier bags.  
"There's Herring, King fish, Red Snapper , Flying fish, Carreti and Marlin ."

He threw one in and let her find it herself, he did that over and over again, he didn't want Alqua to lose her echo

location.

After she was finished her dinner she clicked at him.

"Fine," he dove into the deep water and let himself change. He swam with Alqua for a bit. He laughed at himself. He,Anton Shudder, known as one of the scariest people, and here he was playing ball with a dolphin.

He felt a slight shudder. They had moved once more, to Scotland, if he wasn't mistaken.

**A While Later**

When he went back the lounge was almost empty. Almost. Valkyrie was sitting curled up on one of the armchairs

reading a book, now in her pjs. He cleared his throat, she moved her head to see him.

"Oh, hey Anton."

"Hey,"

"They're all off to bed. Saracen told us how how you guys were transformed. It would be pretty cool to be a mer. Just

the freedom and knowing you had that escape."

"That's why I like it. In the water you don't have to worry about rules or keeping secrets, it's just you and the ocean."

"It sounds amazing. Hey, I couldn't help but notice, you seemed pretty down earlier, but then when I saw you in the

water you were happier. Is that cause of the freedom thing?"

"Not really. It's just I held that secret close to my heart for hundreds of years, it was something I had that the others

didn't have, something that set me apart, but now, it's different. I don't have the secret now, it's all out in the open

and I don't know it just feels weird."

"I see what you mean. You know this is the most you have ever said to me."

"I was just thinking that too. Hey I've got something cool to show you, come on follow me."

She looked at him questionably, but followed him anyway.

He led her to the pool.

"You have a pool? Why didn't you say anything about it?"

"It's not the pool, look." He pointed to the dorsal fin cutting through the water.

"A dolphin?"

"Not just any dolphin. Alqua."

"Alqua!"

The dolphin reared up and chattered excitedly.

"Why's she here?"

"She lost her pod and wanted to come with us."

"Aww," Valkyrie reached out the stroke the dolphins nose, when her hand made contact with the smooth skin the

dolphin pulled back and Valkyrie pitched forward and landed with a splash in the salty water.

When she surfaced she saw Shudder's amused face, she narrowed her eyes and shot a beam of energy at him. Then something came between her legs. One minute she was treading water next she was sitting on the dolphins back, she held in to the fin as Alqua swam around the pool.

She laughed like a manic, but let go of the fin and fell back into the water. She surfaced and laughed again. Alqua

came up to Shudder. He jumped into the pool alongside her and Valkyrie.

He had a feeling Valkyrie wished she had a tail, the way she talked about it, having an escape route.

He wasn't sure how to turn someone, as there are various ways. Saracen and him both pretty much drowned, one

asked a wish from a sea goddess, one had the mer gene in their blood. How Valkyrie would be able to turn he had no idea.

Alqua knew though. They did always said dolphins were intelligent creatures but then mortals didn't normally believe in magic.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4: Chapter 4**

The dolphin gently took hold of Valkyrie's pj leg and pulled her under. She tried to get back up but Alqua kept her under. Valkyrie felt a burning in her lungs as the urge to exhale became stronger and stronger until she had to, the burning wasn't gone now it was the urge to inhale.

Valkyrie blacked out and Alqua let go of her letting her sink right to the bottom. Shudder swam up to her but a blinding white light filled the water, he covered his eyes and pulled back, his tail fin curling up.

When he opened them again, Valkyrie was different. Her legs were gone and in their place was a silver- white tail.

Her eyes were still closed though and he guessed her lungs could still be filled with water, as her mouth was open. He swam up to her and took her to the surface. On the far side the edge was level with the water, which allowed to him to push Valkyrie onto the land while they were both in mer form. It had originally been so he could get out easier, but it seemed to serve a purpose of life saving as well.

He placed his hand on her throat and imagined pulling the water from her. A gush of water came into her mouth and flooded out, he pulled out the remains and splashed it on her face. She gasped and blinked.

"What happened?"

"Look at your legs." She looked down and saw her legs were gone.

"How did this happen?"

"Alqua pretty much drowned you, then your magic saved you, giving you a tail and gills."

"That is so cool- well not nearly drowning but the whole tail thing - oh can you teach me to swim like a mermaid?"

"I guess."

"Thanks," Valkyrie wriggled along in to the water. She seemed to not have the whole freak out stage most people had, or would have when they found out they were now a half human - half fish.

Alqua swam up to her.

"Thank you Alqua."

She chittered and this time instead of relying on Shudder to translate she could understand her. It was rather weird though, she could understand what Alqua was saying but she couldn't speak dolphinese. So she just spoke English.

Shudder taught her how to swim, moving her whole body like a wave with her arms stretched out in front of her and how to use her powers.

She had fun, it was like she was finally truly happy. Truly free from all that had happened. She took a rest and swam onto the level edge. Shudder joined her.

"You seem happy."

"I am. I feel like for the first time in forever I'm finally happy. It's just so freeing."

"If you thinks its freeing a large swimming pool, wait till your in the ocean. It's like nothing on earth, the blue depths stretching on for miles, the endless freedom, the reefs and rock mazes to explore, it's so amazing."

"Wow, it does sound awesome."

"It is Valkyrie, it really is."

"The best wish I ever made."

She smiled at him, but he was looking at Alqua, the dolphin was just floating there. He made no clue that he had heard her.

Shudder slipped under the water and swam over to Alqua. He chittered quietly to her and she chittered quietly back, Valkyrie strained her ears but couldn't make anything out.

The door then swung open. Skulduggery came in.

"There you are Valkyrie, I've been looking for you and why do you have a tail?" Skulduggery tailed off towards the end.

"Meh, I was nearly drowned but my magic saved me."

"How did you nearly drown? And why the hell are you swimming in your pyjamas, I can kind of see everything."

Valkyrie crossed her arms over her chest. Shudder had said nothing, but then he wasn't the type to look at a female like that, she hoped.

"I was pulled under and held down."

"By what?" Skulduggery's gaze moved over to Shudder, who's body hid the dolphin from Skulduggery's non existent eyes.

"No Skul, he tried to save me, it was Alqua."

"Alqua?"

"The dolphin." Shudder moved away and Skulduggery could see the dolphin.

"Why did the dolphin drown her?"

"ALQUA, didn't harm Valkyrie, she simply acted on Valkyrie's wish." Shudder said to his friend.

"You wanted to become a mermaid?"

Skulduggery turned to Valkyrie.

"Yes."

"Why?"

"It's just the freedom, and the general awesomeness of it."

"Oh Valkyrie."

"I wished for it Skulduggery and it's my life."

Skulduggery held his hands up in surrender.

"Alright, easy." Skulduggery kneeled down beside Valkyrie and hugged her.

"Thanks Skul."

The hug was broken by a splash of water hitting Skulduggery's back. He broke off from Valkyrie and glared at his friend who had splashed him.

"Oh it's on now, Anton Shudder."

Skulduggery pulled water from the pool and sent it flying towards the dark haired Mage, who ducked and the water missed him.

**10 minutes later**

Valkyrie and Skulduggery had headed off about 2 minutes ago.

"I'd better go Alqua, got to go man the desk, meant to be having a couple guests arriving."

The dolphin said her goodbyes and swam away to her new favourite part of the pool.

Shudder pulled himself out and dried off. Having Valkyrie as a mermaid wouldn't be too bad, hopefully she wouldn't pester him to show her things all the time.

He looked at his clock, it changed whenever the time zone changed. He yawned and realised how tired he actually was, he normally went about 2-3 days without sleep. He had slept a bit the day before, but he hadn't time just now, he had to wait for his guests. Charlene Teller and Troy Streak.

_**Hours later**_

He tried to sleep in his bed but it didn't work, he couldn't settle, couldn't get comfortable. He had read about this, where those who once lived on land felt the wish or need to remain on land leave them and the wish to remain in the water get stronger and stronger until they just left to live in the sea for the rest of their lives.

He felt the urge already, the wish to remain under the waves. He had to fight it though, he couldn't just leave the hotel. It seemed almost pathetic that the only thing stopping him from staying from life in the sea was a building.

So he went back to Alqua. The dolphin was floating in a shallow, circular outlet. She didn't moved from her position even when he dove in. He went to the bottom and closed his eyes. He hung there just above the tiled floor, water filtering through his gills. He was still vaguly aware of what was going on around him, the gentle movements of Alqua, the natural movement of the water, under the water it was impossibly to partially shut down, in the way the human body did, the body merely relaxed and half slept, still resting, but awake enough to be able to flee if threats appear.

With the morning came Valkyrie. She was obviously eager to swim again, she didn't notice him at the bottom. He had awoken earlier but didn't feel the need to move. He saw her silhouette and swam up, he didn't appear directly in front of her, he surfaced slightly to the side.

She still got a fright though, she jerked back and nearly fell over.

"What are you doing here?"

"Just felt like it."

Valkyrie nodded.

"Can I come and swim?"

"Of course, you didn't need to ask."

"I know, it's just I felt like I should."

"Valkyrie! Morning, morning morning!" Alqua came up and chittered away.

"Morning to you to Alqua," Valkyrie laughed at the hyper dolphin.

"Come and swim, come and swim! I missed you!"

"I was only gone about 5 hours, Alqua."

"Still ages, now come on!"

Valkyrie smiled and jumped in. Shudder then pulled himself out.

"Where are you going?" Valkyrie asked.

"Got a couple more guests coming in soon. Better get sorted out for them, the Dead Men have taken most of the rooms."

" Can you tell Skulduggery that I'm swimming with Alqua?"

"I guess so."

"Thanks," Valkyrie ducked under an flicked her tail, showering water over him. He sent a glare her way and pushed the water off.

In the lounge Ghastly and Skulduggery were sitting talking quietly. Both didn't notice him coming in the door, until he sat down on an armchair.

"Hey, Anton."

"Hey."

"We've barely , wait rephrase that , we haven't seen you since yesterday afternoon. You just left."

"Yeah, I wanted to check out the reefs, gave me the perfect excuse."

"I see. Hey, you look very different not in a suit."

"Yeah, suits aren't practical for swimming."

Ghastly nodded. Shudder said nothing but just stood up and headed towards the door.

"Where are you going?" Skulduggery asked.

"Off to get changed, oh and Valkyrie is swimming with Alqua."

"Alqua?" Ghastly looked to Skulduggery, who seemed content with the explanation.

"She's the dolphin in the pool." Skulduggery told him.

"What pool?"

"The one I only filled yesterday, and keep closed off, as I now have dolphin in it." Shudder explained before leaving.

**10 minutes later**

Valkyrie came into the lounge and sat down in the chair where Shudder had vacated.

"Morning Val."

"Morning Ghastly, see Skulduggery at least someone has manners."

"How was Alqua?"

"Fine, we had a very weird conversation."

"You had a conversation with a dolphin?"

"You didn't tell him?"

"Nope, for once I actually cared about you and though it best to wait your permission."

"For once. So Ghastly, you know how Saracen and Shudder are mermen?"

"Yes."

"Well, I am a mermaid. Alqua was responsible, she drowned me, well half drowned me, and my magic saved me."

"Wait, so you were DROWNED by a DOLPHIN. I thought dolphins were supposed to save, not drown." The scarred man looked at her.

"She was acting upon my wish."

"You wished her to drown you?"

"No. I wished to become a mermaid."

"So you're like them now?"

"Yes. Do you want to see Alqua?"

"I guess."

"Come on then!"

Valkyrie jumped from her seat and dragged Ghastly behind her. He looked behind helplessly at Skulduggery who just ignored him.

He changed when he saw Alqua though. The female dolphin chittered and whistled at him.

"She says she's been looking forward to seeing you."

"She knew who I was?"

"Yeah , apparently Shudder told her about you guys."

"Well, it's good to meet you to, Alqua."

In return Alqua used her nose to flick water up at him. Ghastly blinked in shock and jerked back.

"It means she likes you," Valkyrie offered.

"At least she has a good spirit," Ghastly said wiping water from his face.

"Here," Valkyrie moved her hand the way Shudder had taught her and the water come off him.

"Thanks, so is that some of the mer powers?"

"Yeah."

"Cool, it's like you've got old powers back."

"Yeah, it is. Should we get back to the others?"

"I guess."

"Oh and Ghastly, don't tell them about me or Alqua. I'll tell them about me on my own and it's up to Anton to tell them about Alqua."

"Right, but does that mean you shouldn't have me about her?"

"Probably, but I don't think he'll mind too much."

"Probably not," Ghastly agreed.

_**Back in the lounge**_

All the Dead Men were gathered again. Shudder had told them to mind their volumes and tongues as he had four guests in.

"They'll be leaving at the next stop, but in the meantime behave." He warned them.

They had all agreed. Although they wanted to hear some stories from Shudder. He had refused though and just went straight out the lounge. No one followed, he wasn't exactly known for being the friendliest of people at the best of times.

_**With Shudder**_

He had gone to see Alqua though, she was getting hungry and as he got nearer, he could hear her calls for food.

He pulled bag from his fish fridge he kept in the kitchen and took it her.

He threw them across the water again, he couldn't let her echo location go out of practise, it was vital in the wild. After he just spoke to her, in dolphinese though. Only Valkyrie and Saracen would be able to understand him, and only Valkyrie knew where the pool was. But knowing Saracen he'd find it if he put his mind to it.

It was rather weird having a conversation with a dolphin. Dolphins had a limited knowledge of human ways and things. He managed though.

"You know, in a way I wish they didn't know about me and Saracen being mermen. Before they had no idea what I had been up to, what I get up to, now they know nearly all of what I was up to and what I get up to when I vanish off. Before I had this secret, a secret I kept so close to my heart, no one even suspected, but now I've got nothing to fall back on, nothing I can keep from them. It's all so ... "

"Annoying. Frustrating. Do you what else is? Not getting squid!"

"Is that a hint at something?"

"Maybe."

"Alright, I should have time to get you some before we move off. It's 10 now, that's two hours... If anyone comes looking for me, tell them I'll be back soon."

"Will do!"

_**Back in the lounge**_

"What's up with Anton?" Dexter asked.

Valkyrie knew, but she kept quiet.

"Not sure," Saracen answered instead.

"I thought you were supposed to know things."

"I do know things, like how you were chatting up some girls on your way here two days ago."

"They were pretty cute."

Valkyrie decided to steer the conversation away from Dexter's chatting up and Shudder's problem.

"I've got something to tell you guys." She smiled and Ghastly and Skulduggery.

"Seriously?" Saracen asked her. Valkyrie had no idea what he knew, but she made a pretty good guess.

"I am now a mermaid."

"Since when?" Dexter asked her.

"Last night."

"How did you transform?"

"I was drowned and my magic brought me back."

"Who drowned you?"

"It wasn't Shudder if that's what your thinking. It was Alqua, she's a dolphin, I told her and she acted upon my wish." Valkyrie just realised what she said. She told them about Alqua, but then again Shudder hadn't actually said not to tell.

"Oh, so now there's three fish people in the Dead Men."

"Mer not fish," Valkyrie and Saracen said at the same time.

"So now there's three mer people in the Dead Men." Dexter corrected.

"Thank you."

They heard a door close.

"Door to the garage." Saracen stated.

Saracen's mobile buzzed. He read the text out loud.

"Gone 2 get some thing back in 1hr."

"Who wants to have a party and trash the lounge?" Dexter suggested.

"No way. Nothing good comes from angering your host, especially one with a gist." Ghastly disagreed straight away.

"Just a party then?"

"No," Skulduggery cut in.

"Spoil sport," Dexter retorted.

"If you want a party have one in your room, its soundproofed."

"Nah, no fun."

"But you wanted a party." Valkyrie said.

"One of the best parts of a party is pissing other people off with your loud music."

"We know, and another reason we can't have it here is because there's now four guests in." Ghastly told him.

"Do we know who they are?"

"I took a look at the guest list - Charlene Teller and Troy Streak and Ruth Synapse and Joe Snap." Saracen told the rest of them.

"So party's out of the question, what do we do for an hour?"

"We could explore for a bit," Valkyrie suggested.

"Sounds fun, lets go!" Dexter leaped up and grabbed Valkyrie's arm pulling her after him.

"Come on Ghastly, come on Skulduggery, we have to catch up with Dex and Val!" Saracen ran out after them, Ghastly and Skulduggery half shared a look before heading after them.

**49 Minutes later**

Dexter and Valkyrie rushed in and leaped on to the chairs before swinging round so they were upside down. Saracen then rushed in and flung himself onto the couch. The three started laughing and laughing and laughing and laughing.

Ghastly came in then a rather soaked, muddy and squashed hat in his hand.

He chucked it away, landing behind the tv.

"Skulduggery is probably going to kill you three now."

"Meh, he's threatened us before with death, yet he never goes through with it." Saracen lazily flapped his hand once.

Ghastly rolled his eyes.

"Why is Skulduggery cursing you lot?" Shudder came in then a couple of small bags in his hands.

"No reason," Dexter said hurriedly.

"Right, so that's why he's cursing you three to the deepest, darkest circle of hell where you will meet Mevolent and die a horrific second death at the hands of the greatest oschotical criminals ever to grace this Earth."

Valkyrie and Dexter shared a look.

"We, may, or may not've knocked his hat off," Dexter began

"Then dropped in a river," Valkyrie continued on from the energy thrower.

"Then dropped it in a rather large muddy field," Sarcen joined in.

"Before they began 'accidentally' stepping on it," Ghastly seemed to be the only sane one there.

"But remember we may or may not've done that." The three troublemaking hat thieves finished in unison.

Shudder just shook his head.

"You'd better watch it, he's getting a tad more morbid with his threats."

"Oh, could you maybe just leave him here in Scotland?" Valkyrie asked.

"I think that would only at more fuel to the fire."

"Damn."

" I'll go get in him, and attempt to calm him down, by the promise of making him a new hat." Ghastly left and went to retrieve the skeleton.

"If I were you guys I would hide." Shudder told them.

"Hide where?" Dexter asked.

"Valkyrie, take them to see Alqua. I'll tell Skulduggery you went to your rooms."

"Rightio."

"I'll join you in a few minutes."

"Let's go."

Valkyrie lead the two down the hall way and through the door to the pool.

When they went into the pool room they were greeted by clicks and whistles.

"Hey Alqua, this is Saracen and Dexter."

Alqua chittered excitedly at them.

"So your the one Valkyrie was telling us about."

More clicks.

"What's she saying?" Dexter asked.

Saracen or Valkyrie never got the chance to answer, as at that moment Shudder came in, a large carrier bag in his hand.

Alqua chittered even more excitedly.

"So that's why you left, you went to get the dolphin some squid," Saracen laughed at his friend, who in turn just moved his hand and a jet of water squirted up and hit him in the face.

Saracen wiped the water off his face.

"Nice."

Alqua chittered away.

"Is it just me or is that dolphin laughing at you?" Dexter asked, being the only one who couldn't understand dolphin.

"Yes, she is," Valkyrie burst out laughing and Dexter joined in. Shudder smiled at the laughing dolphin

* * *

If anyone wants to see what the tails look like look up - H20 just add water tails

Valkyrie's tail is a light silver (main colour) and white (highlights)

And for Anton and Saracen look up Mako Mermaids merman tails (or Mako Mermaids Zac) make sure it's a picture of a boy with dark hair to get the right fin shape

Shudder has a black (main colour) with grey (highlights) version of the tail and Saracen has a dark violet (main colour) and black (highlights ) version of the tail


	5. Chapter 5

Dead Mermen Chapter 5

**This chapter's shorter than most of the others but chapters will get longer. School started again last week and I've been too tired to write, I forgot how exhausting and boring school was :( :(**

**So far I've focusing more on Anton so now I'm switching more to Saracen. I will try to focus more on the others as well. Also I had an idea to include China in this, what do you guys think? Any other characters you want to appear?**

One by one the group returned to the lounge. Skulduggery had calmed down after Ghastly promised him free hats. Of course Ghastly forgot to specifiy how many hats his offer covered. Skulduggery decided he wanted 226.5 hats, the .5 was just to be akward.

"I'll get the other three back someday." Ghastly vanished off to his room to begin the hat process, he had lugged his sweing machine and various rolls of fabric and materials with him. Just as he left,Dexter came back in.

"S'up Skul." Dexter gave a lazy wave as he settled upside down a chair.

The skeleton was sitting crosslegged infront of the lit fireplace. His skull seemed blanker than normal and the top gleamed in the bulb on the celing.

"You killed my hat."

"I dropped it."

"You killed it." Skulduggery threw the muddy, battered remains into the fireplace, the burning fabric releasing a horrid smell.

"What on earth is that smell?" Valkyrie came in holding her nose.

"Hat funeral," Dexter whispered to her.

"Oh, yeah, burning hats smell horrible, especially in an air tight room, I nearly died."

"When was this? I should have been there to kill the hat."

"In the Sanctuary about four ago. He," Valkyrie pointed to the still back of Skulduggery," was annoying me. So I pulled his hat off in the Interigation room and darted out into the corridor, but he followed so I hid in a cupboard and burned it. Buuutttttt I got locked in." Valkyrie shrugged as if getting locked in cupboards was a regular thing.

"Awesome."

"It wasn't. You have murdered one hat and aided in the murder of an other and you, Dexter Vex, aided in the murder of Green Hat the First and you, Saracen Rue, also aided in this brutal murder." Skulduggery pointed at Saracen as he came through the door.

"Whaz up?"

"Murder of the most terrible sort," Skulduggery turned back around to face the flames.

"Oh, the whole hat thing, right. I'm just going to check how Ghastly's hat making is going."

"Hat making?" Valkyrie asked.

"Ghastly is going to make me 306.5 new, free, hats," Skulduggery told them.

"Ha, he took the fall for our trouble."

"And you'll be next to fall," Skulduggery said so quietly no one really heard him besides the flames which swallowed the remains of his once lovely and new hat with a green ribbon.

Saracen got up and left to see Ghastly, not to apologise but to just rub it in his face that he was having to make it up to Skulduggery for them. He strolled through the carpeted hallway and turned right, up a small set of stairs to most of the Dead Men rooms. His, Dexter's ,Ghastly's and Valkyrie's rooms were on this floor while , Skulduggery's and Anton's rooms were back on the first floor, not that Skulduggery really needed a room.

"S'up Ghastly?"

The whirring of the sewing machine drowned out his reply, if he even bothered to reply.

"What colour ribbons you using?" Saracen neeeded to lure Ghastly into a conversion before rubbing it in and fleeing for his life.

"Green, purple, white, blue and I'm going to try orange and red."

"Sound's awesome. Hey, why'd he choose 226.5 hats anyway?"

"Just to be akward." Ghastly stood up and pulled a dark forest green ribbon from the shelf where he had laid out all his various ribbons and scraps. Then cutting the roll into size and securing it around the hat in a simple bow.

"Just so you know, we're enternally grateful for you taking the fall, now if you'd excuse I have to run." Saracen turned on his heels and bolted out of Ghastly's room.

Ghastly glared after him before turning back to his hat making. All the while his mind wondering how to get Dexter, Valkyrie and Saracen back ...

When Saracen re-entered the lounge all but Ghastly were there. Valkyrie and Dexter were having another round of Who Can Hung Upside Down The Longest On A Chair Like A Possum Competition. Skulduggery was still sitting infront of the fire, but his skull seemed less, well like it was before while he was burning the hat. Anton was sitting on the couch reading some book, Saracen couldn't be bothered looking to see what one, as he didn't automatically know.

"Hey Sar!" Valkyrie called from her upside down position.

"Our favourite blob of knowledge!" Dexter called from his upside position.

"You're hurting my feelings." Saracen said back, in an exaggerted sad voice, he stuck his bottom lip out. There was a shuffle of fabric of Skulduggery turned around

"You look like an idiot."

"I'm not an idiot, I'm a smidiot. A smart idiot."

"Right." Skulduggery turned back around and Saracen smiled, but his smile was abrupty cut off as he fell and hit the carpet, landing on his stomach. He turned his head round to see what tripped him over, or whatever. Instead he saw him familiar dark purple tail.

When Saracen looked back round he saw Valkyrie, still upside down but with her silvery white fin dangling over the other side and Anton was still sitting but he to had his legs replaced with his tail. Saracen looked back to Valkyrie, her fin was dangling over the back of the chair, in view of the window.

"Umm, Skulduggery?" Saracen reached over and poked the skeleton on his spine.

"What?" Skulduggery turned round and saw the three mer people with tails, the same confusion written on everyone's faces, even Dexter.

"How did this happen?"

"No idea, but Valkyrie's tail can be seen through the window." No sooner had Saracen finsihed speaking, Skulduggery got up adn moved quickly and smoothly across the floor and pulled the curtains shut.

"There. Any guests booked in for this stop, Anton?" Skulduggery looked over Anton's direction.

"Four."

"When will they be arriving?"

The whole room went silent as the dark haired mage thought, until the front door of the hotel opened and voices drifted through.

"Now."

Skulduggery once again moved quickly and shut the lounge door.

"So what are we going to do about this?" Dexter had sacrificed his win and was now sitting up on the chair, he guestarted to the three with tails.

"Dexter, you moved Saracen away from the view of the door. Anton you moved to the other side of the couch, so your body should hopefully hide you tail if you let the fin hang over the end. Valkyrie you do the same,sit round on the chair properly. And I'll checkthe guests in. What rooms are they in?" Skulduggery took charge.

"It says on the sheet on the desk and the keys are on the hooks."

"Good, now places everyone. I think they're getting impatient, that bell's been ringing every ten seconds."

Dexter got up and dragged Saracen along the floor, until Skulduggery, who was standing at the door, gave his approval and Valkyrie moved her tail carefully down until she was sitting sideways on the chair and Anton moved his tail up so his fin was hanging over the end before moving backwards.

"Good, now I'll be back and don't move."

"Skulduggery we can't really move right now." Valkyrie reminded him, but he was already half way out the door.


	6. Chapter 6

**Special Thanks to 'Guest' for your review - I started doing a happy dance around the kitchen earning strange looks from my dogs (three of them - a yorkie, a golden retreiver and a Mini Schnauzer x laso apso (He's adorable))**

**Also thanks to everyone who's reviewed so far **

**Ok, so I've changed the design of the tails- they are now like the Mako Mermaids tails. Saracen and Anton's still like the merman tail and Valkyrie the mermaid one.**

Once Skulduggery had left Dexter checked all the windows were shut, so that no breeze could flutter the curtains and offer anyone outside a view of mermen and mermaid, not that anyone would be sneaking about outside apart from that time when zombies attacked...

Faint voices could be heard through the doors and then footsteps heading up the stairs. Saracen let out a breath he didn't know he had been holding and saw Valkyrie visibly releax, Dexter too. Odd, he wasn't at risk of being found out as a fish. Saracen liked being a fish through, completely free from mortals, not he minded mortals - the females were fun to chat up, pretty too, well some of them.

From his position behind the chair Valkyrie was sitting in , he couldn't really see much, besides Valkyrie if he he turned his head round. His tail felt weird out of water. Saracen had never been a fish out water properly, he only changed when submerged and changed back when he was completely out the water. How they had changed this time was a comeplete mystery, even to him.

While Dexter seemed slightly weirded out by the whole thing, Skulduggery was almost ok with it.

"So what are we going to do about you guys with tails? How did it even happen anyway? I thought you guys only changed when under the water."

"We have no idea how this happened. All I know is that we need to get into water soon and we can't change back. I don't know how long for but we really, really, really need to get into water. My scales feel like they're shrivelling up." Saracen placed his hand on the purple scales and twisted round to get a proper look, the dark purple scales were lighter on the front-the scales on the ground- while on his back the spiney dorsal fin was a black, a similar shade to his friend's tail.

He looked up from his twisted round postition and saw Valkyrie's fin hanging off the chair. Like his main colour was purple hers was a pearly silver colour, the dorsal spine was a deep shimmering grey and if he pushed himself up using his hands her fin would brush his head, the silvery and white/ grey fin in stark contrast to his. Saracen couldn't see Anton, but he guessed (he didn't know this time round) he was continuing to read, ignoring the fact that his tail most likley felt too dry and hot.

"The pool would do fine, wouldn't it?" Dexter asked.

"Yes. It's deep enough and large enough to last for a while." Anton's voice drifted over. l.

Saracen relaxed again, he had only been in the pool once but it was filled with seawater and had a friendly inhabitant of Alqua the dolphin.

Two sets of footsteps were heard coming down the steps and the door opened, not wide open but enough for Ghastly to fit through.

"Skulduggery filled in me in on what happened. Not that he really knows much."

"I have no experiance with mer-people other than that group of sea-dwellers we crossed in the war." Skulduggery followed in after the scarred boxer/tailor

"We need to get into water now!" Valkyrie cut in before Ghastly could reply to Skulduggery.

"How do we do that? I'm guessing you guys don't particularly want to get dragged across the carpet?" Ghastly asked.

"Nope, I don't want carpet burns on my belly." Saracen piped up from his mostly hidden place.

"So no dragging. How about air carrying?" Skulduggery suggested.

"No thanks, I still remember last time." Valkyrie straight out declined.

"Carrying?"

"It would take two of you to carry one of us, three would be better but someone needs to open the doors." Anton told them.

"That's our best option so far."

A loud thud broke their conversation.

"I'll go," Skulduggery slipped out and the others waited with a baited breath.

"Ghastly!" Skulduggery called through.

"What?"

"Can you come through here?"

"Alright. Damn skeleton." Ghastly lowered his voice for the last sentence, before going through the door.

"Dexter!" Ghastly called through.

"What is going on with them? I'll be back in a sec." Dexter stood up and went through the door.

"What do think's gotten in to them?" Valkyrie turned round to face Anton and Saracen dragged himself further forward.

"No idea, but they better not forget about us, I think I'm turning into beef jerkey, or well, fish jerkey."

Valkyrie laughed at Saracen, Anton just looked at him from above his book, which he had infact began reading again.

"If I still had my elemental magic I could keep our tails cool and not drying out."

"They should be back soon, then we can get into the pool and swim about."

A small silence fell over the trio as they waited, they heard footsteps going up the stairs.

"Can you guys pull water out the air? I know Skulduggery can with being an Elemental." Valkyrie sat up the best she could.

"Never tried, but it wouldn't hurt." Anton put his book down and held his hand up, fingers curled as if to claw the water out the air, it was working, sort of. He pulled a small puddle out and dropped it down onto his tail, moving it about the best he could.

Saracen the proceeded to do the same, managing to cool his burning scales, making him feel more comfortable.

Valkyrie tried after and got enough water out to ease the uncomfortable pain of the scales out of water.

Footsteps came back down the stairs and a worried Ghastly came back in.

"What's happening?" Saracen pushed himself up on his hands and turned round the best he could.

"Umm, it's..."

"Just spit it out Ghastly."

"Well you see..."

Ghastly had gone out into the hallway after Skulduggery had called him through and froze at the sight infront of him. A familiar blonde in leather was leaning agaist the reception desk, holding her side in pain. On the floor though was a sight that had become somewhat familair over the last few days. A long scaled tail, leading up to a human body - this one female, the face hidden by hair as black as sin but was unmoving.

"Dexter!"

Skulduggery was kneeling down beside the mermaid and Ghastly turned his attention to Tanith, Dexter kneeled down beside Skulduggery, when he came through.

"Long time no see," Tanith smiled, while clutching her side even more.

"You're hurt."

"Yeah. I kinda got sliced by a scythe."

"A scythe?"

"A lot happened. Things went wrong, now Ireland is once again without a Grand Mage and China and I were attacked and fled here to France, knowing that's where you guys would be."

Ghastly was silent as he procssed what happened.

"And how long as China been like that?"

Ghastly pointed to the mermaid lying face down on the ground.

"Only a few minutes, but when she fell over she hit her head and I had to carry and drag her the best I could the last bit."

"That's happened here to,"

"There's mermaids here?" It was at Tanith question that he relaised what he had said, but there was no going back and with China discovered to be a mermaid, it wouldn't be long until they found out about the other three.

"Yes, but there's only one mermaid, the other two are mer_men_."

"Who? Wait, you, Skulduggery and Dexter are through here- so it's obviously not you three. The two of you missing are Saracen and Shudder so I'm guessing it's them two and where's Val? Or she's the mermaid you were talking about?"

"Spot on. We only recently found out out them- well Saracen and Shudder. Valkyrie only's been a mermaid for a few days, actually I think it's two days."

"I only found out about China around that time too. I think the only reason she told me was because the only way out was to swim a short distance from a boat."

Tanith suddenly bent over double. Ghastly finished speaking with that cheery bit of information.

"Where's Tanith now?" Valkyrie asked.

"I put her in my room, but I think the sheets are stained with blood now. Sorry about that." The last part was directed at Anton.

"It's fine, there's plenty more."

"Will she be ok?" Valkyrie was concerned for the safety of her friend.

"If she doesn't get the wound stiched up..." Ghastly trailed off he didn't need to finish.

"There's healing supplies in my office, they should do."

Ghastly seemed visibly releved.

"Past the desk, second door on the left." Anton took a key out from his sleeve and chucked it to Ghastly, it having stayed on with the transformation.

"Thanks,"Ghastly caught it easily and hurried out.

"They've forgotten about us," Saracen dropped back down, his chest hitting the ground.

"As long as we keep pulling water from the air we won't dry out," Anton picked his book back up and his words were slightly muffled by the pages.

"Ghastly said that China, who we now know is a mermaid, turned a few minutes before she arrived here. So it's not just us who's changed to merform,maybe the others on land. If there's any? " Valkyrie went back over what Ghastly had said.

"There's not that many merpeople on land. It's rare for mortals and sorceres alike to be changed. The three of us all being drowned and saved by magic is quite a rarity. Most sorcerers would just end up drowning." Anton told her.

"How did we end up drowning again? We were in an area where we used to swim all the time, then suddenly one day we pretty much drown."

"There was the whole thing with the being unable to surface after jumping in."

"Oh yeah," Saracen noticed Valkyrie's confused look. When he had told them, he gave a very breif version of what happened- just they were swimming and then something happened, next thing he knew, boom ,tail.

_"There real truth was happened waas something like this..." Saracen began telling Valkyrie the whole version of what happened._

_Saracen's Flashback_

_"Come on!" Saracen ran forward and dove into the waves, surfacing after the wave past, before swimming further out past the breaking waves._

_"Coming." Anton the dove in as well, when he surfaced he was met with a splash of water._

_"Thanks."_

_Saracen was then hit with a similar splash._

_"I'll race you to those rocks over there!" Saracen started swimming over to a large cluster of rocks in shallower water._

_He he was halfway there he flet something wrap around his leg, he kicked out and the thing let go. At this point Anton caught up with him._

_"I thought you were wanting to win."_

_"I was but, something grabbed my leg, probably a bit of seaweed or something."_

_"Most likley."_

_The water here wasn't the warmest in the world but they were used to it, they had been swimming in this area since they were little kids, seeing who could hold their breath the longest having water fights and what not. On the day everything changed it was sunny for a change, the streams of sunlight filtered through the water._

_It was rather hard to see under the water, although years of swimming meant the salty water didn't bother them as much as it had once done._

_Saracen climbed up onto the rock, feet gripping on the dips and crevices made by the waves chipping away at it. He sat up at the top and looked out to sea. Cliffs rose up not far from his view point and just below him the water was relivley calm for a change. The sea a deep blue, mirroring the sky._

_A slight clattering noise behind him, made him turn round._

_"Even if the pebbles hadn't fallen you still would have known I was there, wouldn't you?"_

_"Most likley, but I only know certain things."_

_Saracen stood up near the edge._

_"Ready for another swim?" Saracen asked, already knowing the answer, therefore didn't wait and just jumped straight off, landing in the water. Under the water he slowed down just before hitting the sand, he let his feet drift down and he pushed off from the bottom._

_He surfaced just as Anton landed in the salty waves not far from Saracen. Saracen kicked up and found homself unable to surface, looking up through blurred eyes he saw a dark shape._

_"Must of moved over the rocks." He thought._

_Beside him Anton too was having difficulty surfacing. Saracen swam over to his friend and the two moved up at the same time, this time surfacing easily. Nothing blocking the surface._

_"What was that?" Anton asked, through breathing in the fresh air._

_"I have no idea," Saracen too spoke through precious lungfuls of air._

_The two treaded water while getting their breath back._

_"Maybe we should just go back to shallower water, lay off the jumping from rocks for a while." Anton suggested._

_"Good idea."_

_End of Flashback_

"That was last thing I remember, I think I hit a rock or something."

"There was the wave remember, bigger than the other ones. It broke earlier too, you got shoved into the rocks and I think I was pulled further out. I only remember fighting against the waves. Then waking up on the shore, half in the water with a tail," Anton added in the missing details.

"Oh, yeah. I remember I was lying on the rocks like a clump of seaweed, my nice new tail hanging in the water."

"Must have been a shock." Valkyrie listened to the whole story.

"It was. First time both of us had any kind of encounter with mer people." Saracen smiled. The friendship him and Anton shared was an odd-ish one. For one Anton was older than the other Dead Men. Saracen had met the dark haired boy at the school they both went to- a mortal school. That was proably part of the reson the became friends. Two sorcerers amongst mortals. Even then Saracen vaugley remeber he would flirt the best he could with the pretty girls, while Anton had always been the moody boy who glared at everyone rather than making any effort to make friends. He had been in the last year of school when Saracen was in the first year.

_The Meeting Flashback_

_Saracen tried to slip past the five, all boys in their last year of the school. All mortals. He knew the sister of one them she had been the centre of his attentions the previous week. He looked about for any other way past. A group of girls in the year above him were gathered around the steps, he blamed the village for only having one school - meaing girls and boys mixed. On the wall hidden from the boys by a shed was another boy in the last year- Anton. He had spoken to him once after he had made a comment from his power - he had known Anton was a sorcerer. The conversation had lasted all of exactly 39 seconds. Where Anton was sitting he could see what the boys Saracen was trying to get past were doing._

_Saracen moved against the wall and slipped past them, only for the leader the grab his shoulder and turn him around. Saracen closed his eyes and waited for the blow he knew was coming. He could fight, but not one againt five. It never came though. The boy grunted and he was knocked to the ground then came the screams. Saracen opened his eyes and saw Anton fighting the, well it looked like Anton only - wilder. Longer hair, teeth and talons. He looked and the thing that looked like Anton was coming from Anton on a stream of light and dark._

_The boys that didn't face the wrath of the thing ran off back into the playground near the gaggle of girls on the steps who were now watching wide eyed. One of them was the sister of the boy who got caught by the ... thing. Said thing now retreated into Anton who stumbled back. Saracen came to his side._

_"Nice work. What was that?"_

_"I thought ... you ... knew things," the boy was out of breath and seemed close to passing out._

_"Not everything."_

_"It's a Gist."_

_"Oh. I've heard of them. Made of all the hate, determination and anger of a person."_

_"Excatly."_

_"ANTON SHUDDER AND SARACEN RUE!"_

_The headmaster came striding across the playground to where the two boys sat next to the blood soaked corp ... bodies of the others. They weren't dead. Slashed up and passed out but not dead._

_The two were called into the office. Anton just stared stoney faced and silent. Glaring daggers whenever the headmaster spoke, which was rather often. Saracen gave his account of what happened. It seemed to last ages - the long drawn out interogation. _

_After that they sort of became friends. Though Anton was the olden day version of expelled for nearly killing two of his classmates._  
The fact that both of them turned into mermen at the same time strenghtened it even more.

Silence settled until Dexter came back in.

"Skulduggery came up with an idea that he claims is genius. His so called genius idea is to make some sort of strecher thing and carry you lot through to the pool."

The three mer-people went silent as they thought over the idea. It was better than being dragged or akwardly carried.

"How long would the strechter thing take to make?" Valkyrie asked.

"I dunno. It was Skulduggery's idea and he's taking China to the pool and I have noooo idea how to make one. I'm pressuming Skulduggery does but he's a little preocupied."

"There's two long poles in a cupboard next to my office and plenty sheets in the airing cupbaord upstairs," Anton said quietly.

Saracen turned to stare at his friend, never in a million years did he think that Anton Shudder would agree to be carried on a stretcher.

"Right. Are the cupboards locked or what?" Dexter's voice had the same surprise to it.

"No. The poles are in the first door on the left past the desk and the sheets are in the cupboard opposite your room."

"Sweet. Back in a few minutes." Dexter left again.

Valkyrie sighed and flopped backwards, most of her upper bodie over the arm rest, hair pooling slightly on the ground. Saracen wriggled around, trying to get comfortable on the carpet. Anton continued to read.

"Hey, Anton. Throw a cushion over here."

"Sure." Anton threw the cushion, hitting Saracen in the face.

"Thanks." Saracen flung it back, hitting your friends in the face with a cushion was definatly better than being comfortable.

"Hey!"

Anton flung it back only to hit Valkyrie instead of Saracen.

Valkyrie flung it back, hitting Anton in the face.

Anton threw it back at Valkyrie and threw another one from beside him at Saracen.

Saracen flung his at Valkyrie and Valkyrie flung hers at Anton.

Valkyrie threw it back at Saracen and Anton threw his cushion at Saracen as well.

"Haha, I have them both now!"

Anton leaned back and grabbed the other two and tossed one to Valkyrie.

"Three, two, one attack!" Saracen cried out and he threw his cushions at the other two, while being hit by a further two.

Soon it became hard to tell who's cushion hit who. Valkyrie pulled a cushion from under her tail and Saracen dragged himself over and pulled the cushions from the other armchairs.

Dexter walked back in, two poles under his arm and a couple of sheets slung over his shoulder, only to get hit by a flying cushion.

"Cushion fight!" Dexter ditched the stuff and dove forward snatching up a cushion from the floor, where it had failed to its target.

Every so often they would take a thirty second break while the three with tails splashed water on their scales.

Dexter had the biggest advantage in the Cushion Fight as he could move about hitting people with cushions before actually throwing the cushions. Him and Valkyrie cushion sparred for a little bit, trading soft blows using the cushions as weapons, while Anton and Saracen threw the other five at each other and Dexter's back.

Ghastly came in then, nearly tripping over the things Dexter dumped down on the ground. A flying cushion wacked him on the head.

"Sorry Ghastly!" Saracen called out, but show no signs of stopping flunging cushions as the the other three.

Ghastly held the cushion in his hand before chucking it back into the fray. Skulduggery came back in but only Ghastly noticed.

The two stared at the others - three with tails, one with legs. Ghastly slowly turned to look at Skulduggery while Skulduggery turned to slowly look at Ghastly.

Eventually the cushion fight subsided, after a few stray ones hit Ghastly and Skulduggery occasionally as the two made the stretcher. Wrapping the sheets around the poles. When they had finished. Ghastly was the first to look up.

Valkyrie had flopped back and her hair was pooling on the ground. Saracen was facedown on the ground and Anton had flopped back on the couch. Dexter was sitting on the other chair leaning down poking Saracen's back.

Dexter looked up and saw Ghastly staring at him, he then stopped poking Saracen.

"They're out."

"I can see that. Since me and Skulduggery made the stretcher you and Skulduggery can carry it through, I'll get the doors."

"Alright," Dexter sighed and heaved himself up, " Who's first?"

Ghastly looked at all three.

"Valkyrie," He decided, " Skulduggery, bring the stretcher over!"

"When did your last slave die off?"

"I ground his bones to dust when he didn't do as he was told."

Skulduggery brought the strechter over while Dexter picked Valkyrie up the best he could with her long tail dangling down. Skulduggery set the strecher down on the ground while Dexter set Valkyrie down on the madeshift contraption.

"I'll carry this side with both arms walking backwards and you two can take a side each at that other end," Skulduggery took charge and the three moved to their respecting sides.

"On thee lift. One. Two. Three. Up,"

It took a while to get all three onto the stretcher one at a time and through to the pool. It seemed the water revived them but they seemed sluggish.

Skulduggery had vanished off but Ghastly stayed, sitting cross legged on the poolside. Valkyrie was quietly conversing with China in one of the small brached off pools (A small waterway that opens up into a pool about a meter down.) Saracen was lying on his back on the bottom of the pool, watching the faint slightly blurred outlines. While the pool was nice, it wouldn't do for long- the pure energy from the sea was fading from the water. All four could feel it but no one spoke of it, infact no one even spoke about how they were still stuck with tails.

Saracen looked to the side- Anton floating on his back on the surface, arms gentley moving almost like he was trying to fly. Saracen let out a laugh at that mental image of his friend flapping his arms trying to get off the ground- his laugh reaching the surface in a cluster of bubbles.

Something was coming. He knew that and he had a feeling Alqua was involved somehow. Wild dolphins never immediatley adjusted to life in captivity and just being in a pool filled with days old seawater, no matter how many times it was filtered out, was bound to drive any free creature quite mad.

Yes, something was coming. Their unexplained transformation was just the start of it...

**I'm not sure how long this is going to be, probably only a couple more chapters. But if anyone wants I could probably do a few one - shots. **


	7. Chapter 7 - What's to come

**DMchapter7**

**Chapter 8 = not written yet , is set up for chapter 7**

**Thanks to Mya2015 for the idea of this chapter**

**This chapter is really short. It's more just a hint of what's to come when I get it written.**

**Also if anyone has anything they'd like to see in this, leave a review or pm and I'll see what I can do.**

"You all came. Albeit a few hours late, but you're here that's all that matters," A voice sounded around them, a direct source impossible to detect.

"What have you done with our friends?" Valkyrie demanded to the voice.

"Nothing."

"I find that rather hard to believe," Saracen joined Valkyrie in questioning what ever foulness was speaking to them.

"It's the truth, Saracen Rue. You should know that. Now Valkyrie Cain so brave yet so weak."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Valkyrie demanded again.

"Darquesse. You were going to run, so weak and ... cowardly. You dissapoint me. Ah, China Sorrows. A beauty riddled with lies and betrayal. I know all truths about you. You think yourself strong but in reality you're weak."

"I broke free of the lies they called Worship. I broke free of Mevolent's hold and fought against him."

"It took your brother to do it first though, and I'm not just talking about The War. Anton Shudder, a man to be feared yet I'm not shaking in my ... well I'm not wearing any boots so that phrase doesn't quite work out. A man filled with anger and hate. You see I know everything about you four. The Mermaids and the Mermen. Although the Newbie has no idea the harsh truth to living two lives. Infact all of you have no idea the harsh reality of living two lives. But you will. I swear you will feel it and it'll force you into a choice."

"What choice would that be?" Anton asked, for the first time.

"If I told you, you would feel everything I want you all to feel. So long, The Cursed."

With a laugh it all fell silent.


End file.
